Box Score
MONTREAL -- Kayla Barrett of Brampton, Ont., scored a game-high 18 points, including a pair of last second free-throws as eighth-ranked Concordia escaped with a 49-47 road victory over No.6-McGill in women's basketball , Saturday.

The Martlets were dressed in pink uniforms for their annual "Shoot for the Cure" fundaraiser for breast cancer and the event drew 420 fans to Love Competition Hall.

McGill battled back from a 44-30 deficit with just under four minutes remaining to tie the score at 47-47 when Marie-Pier Bastrash drained one of two free-throws with six seconds left in regulation time. McGill just needed one more defensive stop to send it to overtime but Mariam Sylla was called on a last second reach-in and fouled out, setting the stage for Barrett's winning basket.

Sylla, a 6-foot-1 science sophomore from Guinea, was the main catalyst behind the Martlet comeback, scoring 13 of her team-high 17 points in the final three mintues. Teammate Helene Bibeau, a senior forward from St. Bruno, Que., added eight points and contributed a clutch three with 2:19 remaining to ignite the Martlets rally, making the score 46-35.

The game featured a whopping 52 turnovers, including 27 by McGill, which was without starting point-guards Dianna Ros and Francoise Charest for the second straight contest.

Jennifer Silver, a 5-foot-11 freshman from Montreal, Que., showed some flashes in the low post and was the second leading scorer for McGill with nine points.  

Despite the never-say-die mentality displayed by the Martlets, head coach Ryan Thorne stated that this effort needed to be there all game.

"The hustle was way too late," he said. "All our fight came within the last five minutes and that just can't happen." 

Discipline was another key area for Thorne, "We were undisciplined all game but it especially hurt us down the stretch. We were reaching and doing things we talked about not doing. They went to the free-throw line 28 times and we lost lost by two. Your answers are right there."

The Stingers made 20 of those 28 attempts which helped make up for their struggling 13-of-53 (24.5%) shooting performance. McGill, on the other hand, only made it to the line 11 times, making eight attempts while shooting 31 per cent from the field (18/58). 

Marilyse Roy-Viau was Concordia's secondary weapon, chipping in 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists. 

The Stingers, who improved to 7-3 on the season, now sit atop the RSEQ standings all alone after sweeping the Martlets in this home-and-home matchup. McGill, which dropped to 6-3 and are now two points behind Concordia, will host Bishop's (0-8) on Jan. 30 at Love Competition Hall. 

SOURCE:

Ryne Bondy and Earl Zukerman
McGill Sports Info Office
514-398-7012